One of the things fiction allows us to do is examine hypothetical situations that don’t exist in the real world. A novel is a large-scale thought experiment. This is true of any fiction, but doubly true in speculative fiction. The whole point of science fiction and fantasy is to explore …
Category: Writing
Q&A: Do I Need Italics for Flashbacks?
Q: I used italics in a scene with a flashback, but my critique partner said I should never use italics. Here’s the part I put in italics: He sat in the cold hospital waiting room, feeling numb. This was just like when Mom died. We did all we could, the …
Identifying the Passive Voice
I’ve written before about When Passive Voice is Permissible. Strunk and White admit that “Use the active voice … does not, of course, mean that the writer should entirely discard the passive voice, which is frequently convenient and sometimes necessary.” But one of the biggest problems writers face in …
The Difference Between Infringement and Plagiarism
I shouldn’t have to say this, but I must. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Writers of all people should know that passing someone else’s words off as your own is Not Done. Yet it happens often, sometimes with spectacularly embarrassing results, even to professionals.
Use Story to Make Your Ideas Stick
Folks like Copyblogger who teach copywriting often emphasize the importance of story. That’s because a story gives our hearts and minds something to hold on to. Stories make ideas sticky. But the thing is, the story has to be in your work for the right reasons. ☐ Anecdotes are engaging …
Leverage the Power of Story
In fiction writing, we often say “story is king.” Remember how I define that: Character + Plot = Story To make your nonfiction engaging, use stories either on a small scale, like anecdotes, or on a large scale, as in a memoir. A story may be brief, like Jesus’ parable …
Q&A: Do you need a blog?
I just returned from teaching at the Speak Up Conference in Grand Rapids. It was a wonderful event, and I hope to be back next year. This conference started as one for speakers, but because speakers often need to write and writers often need to speak, they’ve added a writing …
Unusual Uses of Excel for Writers
Regular readers know I’m a little spreadsheet crazy. I’ve offered you a spreadsheet for time and motion studies and another for tracking your productivity. And I’m not the only one, because you’ll notice that Michael Hyatt’s ideal week is plotted on a spreadsheet. When I wrote about tools, I mentioned …
Take Back Your Time
We all have time. Every week contains 168 hours, and they are yours to spend as you chose. The choices you make determine what you accomplish. Your schedule is packed. The question is, with what? Your calendar will reveal what your real priorities are. Making room on your calendar for …
Put Boundaries Around Your Writing Time
When we talked about flow, I mentioned Mark McGuinness’s advice to ring-fence your time. The question then is—how? Actually, your first question might be—as it was for one student who took my time management seminar a few months ago—what does that even mean, “ring-fence your time”? A ring fence is …